


Camellia

by GluttonyBiscuits



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amélie works at a French bakery, Angela is Jack's best friend, Anxiety, Gabriel and Olivia are frenemies, Gabriel was a rebel as a teen, Graffiti, Hurt/Comfort, I know I'm sad too, Language of Flowers, M/M, No Smut, Panic Attacks, Paranoia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Schizophrenia, Sobbing, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-13 04:25:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17481128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GluttonyBiscuits/pseuds/GluttonyBiscuits
Summary: Angela had this brilliant idea of hiring the most beautiful man in existence to be the exterior designer for "Camellia", Jack's new flower shop in Los Angeles. But, the guy can't possibly be attracted to him.After all, it was purely business.(Changed the rating due to Chapter Four onwards)





	1. Chapter One

Los Angeles was beautiful in the wintertime. Pedestrians bustling to purchase last minute Christmas presents, trees bare of their greenery to make room for the new in a few months. Way different from rural Indiana.

A certain golden blonde wasn't focused on the scenery at the moment, however.

“O-Okay, okay, I'll be sure to be there on time!” Jack Morrison, the chill and quiet-natured Indiana farm boy, was quite possibly the most nervous and excited he's ever been in his twenty-six years of living. He was currently lightly jogging through a small crowd of Los Angeles in late December, careful not to trip someone or himself over while also in a hurry. He had his cell phone up to his right ear being sandwiched with his right hand, every now and then checking the time on his watch that was strapped to his left wrist, slightly obscured by his light grey hoodie sleeve. The background photo was of him with Angela Ziegler, his best friend since childhood, making duck faces at the camera while holding up peace signs. The clock arms read 1300 sharp.

“Yes, I'll be there in about three minutes!” Jack paused to let the person on the other side to talk, “Of course! I don't want them to wait any longer.” He was scheduled to meet up with his exterior designer that Angela hired for him. She also rented an empty lot for his new shop so he didn't have to go scouting for one in a place he was barely accustomed to.

Currently the blonde was staying with Angela in an apartment complex three blocks away from his future floral shop. Until he could pay for his own place, he’d be a burden to her for a while.

Where would he be without her? He knew of course, but didn't want to think about it.

Jack slowed down to a stop once he was in front of an empty building barren of paint or decorations, perfect for starting off fresh. The triple-hinged doors were made of bulletproof glass with metal pull handles painted black, along with the door frames. There was a single full-body window to the right that was also made of bulletproof glass. When Jack pulled open the double doors, he heard a soft ring above him, making him look up to see a bronze bell hanging slightly above the frame to alert him of incoming guests.

He had to thank Angela for getting him such a secure space, knowing full well of his paranoia.

With his phone in his hoodie pocket, Jack looked around the room, gathering in all the little details and thinking about decorations he should put in specific places. It was quite spacious, with both length and width around a thousand square feet. He was interrupted from his headspace with a quiet cough meant to grab his attention. He snapped his head at the direction where the throat clearing came from, and was mildly prepared for an ambusher. He instinctively grabbed at where the holster for his handgun was, only to be stopped by Angela smiling softly at him.

“Sorry Jack for startling you, dear. How do you like the place I picked out for you?” Angela was wearing a pair of jeggings with a loose blouse overtop, accompanied by her usual pair of sneakers to get around the hospital better. Since she was the head doctor for the busiest building in LA, Jack was confused about why she was here so early. Angela seemed to have noticed his expression and grinned, showing her slight overbite.

“I have my ways for clocking out early, Jack. Just because my name has ‘angel’ in it doesn't mean I don't have a little mischief in my life,” she walked over to Jack's side and pulled him into a tight embrace. Jack's hand, now far away from the holster, pressed against Angela's back, his other on the back of her head to squish her to his muscled chest. Since Angela was a good head shorter than the ex-soldier without heels, her cheek smushed into Jack's collarbone. They swayed a little, staying in that position for what felt like hours, but it was only for a couple minutes, before breaking apart. Jack was sure he hadn't hugged anyone like that since he left Indiana. Every other hug was a little embrace or an awkward side hug he would regret for eternity, but this one felt nice.

It was refreshing. He needed it after all he'd been through, and Angela knew that.

“You didn't answer my question, _dummkopf_. How do you like it?” Angela gestured around her to the empty space. Jack nodded subconsciously while also looking around. He then felt confused again, and that meant his face showed it. Jack noticed at an early age that he was very expressive with his emotions on his face, and Angela took advantage of it when Jack had something on his mind or was having an anxiety attack. This time was no exception.

“What's wrong, dear?”

“I thought we were supposed to be meeting the designer here?” Angie hummed for a second, also thinking that. Suddenly Jack heard the distant patter of heavy footfalls on concrete, headed toward their destination. He was taken back to morning reps, hearing running feet and his rapid heartbeat in his ears. He stiffened up and reached to his side again, instinctively, for his gun holster when Angela softly tugged his bicep in comfort, telling him silently that it was alright. That he was in no danger. The blurred edges cleared and Jack slowly relaxed again from his friend's soft gaze. He dropped his hand to instead nest inside his hoodie pocket and fidgeted with his phone.

The urgent and heavy feet grew louder with every step, along with Jack's unsteady breaths, until he didn't have any time to react to a mass of dark clothing busting through the doors, gloved hand on the glass as the person panted from his sprint here. The man profusely apologized about his punctuality, stating that “Amélie was going to have my ass if I was late” or something. Jack didn't know who this ‘Amélie’ was, but by the man's body language, he was afraid of them.

Angela slowly and calmly walked toward the stranger, though not before patting Jack's bicep silently telling him to stay there. While the platinum blonde was talking to the guy, who was starting to take off his beanie to reveal rich, dark brown curls that stuck to his sweaty forehead, Jack was looking for any signs of potential danger from him. He didn't trust people easily anymore, plus he looked shady as hell. A black parka and a pair of jeans covered his shivering body — were those studded combat boots? Jack was so lost in thought picking at the little details of how dangerous this man could be, he didn't notice them stop talking and wait for him to answer something.

Angela apologized quietly to the dude before walking up to Jack and lightly touching his forearm. Angela was careful with her light touches, not wanting to scare Jack out of his headspace too badly. Shortly after Angela’s voice went to Jack's eardrums, he flexed his fingers from his sides and went to hold Angela's own. She talked quietly to him and angled her eyes toward the man, who was standing near the doorway waiting patiently to be introduced to his new client.

Jack cleared his throat slightly to try and rid of his anxiety bubbling up his stomach. He walked shyly up to the designer, now realizing how unfairly attractive this guy was, and brought out a shaky hand for the other man to shake.

“I um, I figured Angela already told you my name, but I want a proper introduction with you. Jack Morrison, uhh ex-soldier,” he said the last part reluctantly. Jack didn't like introducing himself to someone about his past. But, the guy would most likely leave right after his contract was over, so it barely mattered.

The man, now almost less than a yard away from Jack, put the beanie he was fidgeting with into the leather messenger bag at his side along with a pair of wire-framed sunglasses Jack didn't even know he was wearing. He was the same height as Jack too, without the fluffiness of his hair if the guy shaved it off. When he took them off, the designer had stunning amber eyes that changed to a hazel color at the right angle. His jaw was chiseled just right under his trimmed goatee and moustache. He had a few scars here and there, but they did look good on his bronze skin.

Jack's train of thought got interrupted when he felt a rough textured hand against his own. _Gun calloused_. His grip was firm, professional. But, weirdly comforting somehow, like Angela's hug earlier. He hasn't had that much physical contact in a while. Too much stress, he always said to himself.

“Gabriel Reyes, ex-graffiti artist. Even with the police after my ass, they couldn't find any evidence.” Jack saw the dude, Gabriel, smirk under his moustache, amber eyes locking with cornflower blue. Jack felt Gabriel's thumb rub against his knuckle, subconsciously he presumed.

“The only evidence they _could_ find was a red 'R' next to his art, signifying that 'The Reaper' was there,” Angela's light accent cut through both of their thoughts as Jack let go first, leaving Gabriel's hand cold. He put it back in his jacket pocket immediately after they parted, Jack noticed.

“Wow, and I thought you couldn't get any edgier,” Jack exclaimed toward Gabriel with a mischievous smirk, an evil glint in his bright blue orbs. Usually it was difficult for Jack to have an easy conversation with people, let alone someone he just met. But, Gabriel's aura was comforting and Jack's walls crumbled just a little. The little tease apparently had taken a toll on the other man. Hazel eyes tilted down, a tint of red dusting his strong cheekbones, and a soft grin spread across his face. It was amazing how Gabriel went from a stone cold badass that did illegal graffiti, to an embarrassed mush in front of Jack in the span of a few seconds. But, it disappeared as soon as it arrived. Jack wondered if he could make that blush appear again.

“And I thought all you did was harvest corn, farm boy,” Gabriel playfully retorted back, grin shortened a little to a flirty smirk, weight on his right foot to pop out his hip slightly. That made a pretty sexy picture, and Jack knew he was blushing profusely from the warmth radiating off his cheeks. He pointedly looked at Angela. The offender grinned from ear to ear behind her hand.

“Why did you tell him that?!” Jack wasn't even that mad. At least Gabriel was joking about where he lived, not what he did during that time.

Why did this man that he just met create such a conflict with Jack's mind and heart?

“We went to the same schools, dear. I couldn't leave you out of the fun stories.” Angela certainly knew what she was doing, and Jack glared while hitting her shoulder softly.

He knew she already told everything to Gabriel, so it would be a waste of time to try and harvest some dignity and kill Angela in her sleep.

Angela then put a hand on his shoulder to squeeze it softly. He looked up from inspecting a very interesting speck of dirt on the concrete and saw Angela smirking at him. Jack knew that expression, it was her “You're helpless, have fun with that” face. He quickly glanced at Gabriel in front of him, who seemed to be staring at Jack with a distant expression. Hazel orbs travelled to every little detail on the blonde's pale face, memorizing them almost. Jack looked back toward his friend who now had a blonde eyebrow raised with a deadpan look, her lips turning up crookedly. That was her “Am I right or am I right?” expression.

What had Angela done to him?


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly did not expect this chapter to be five pages in my document LOL
> 
> Since it's basically Valentine's Day I slipped in a little sumthin' sumthin' for that extra fluff at the end ;3
> 
> As always, ChubbyGhostQuinn is my literal life saver and I love them for beta-reading! Link to their profile [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbyGhostQuinn)

Slow and heavy footsteps were heard from the hallway as Gabriel walked up the concrete stairs to his shared apartment. He sighed lightly once he came up the last step, his energy long gone from the day's events. After unlocking the door with his almost fully rusted key, Gabriel slumped against the corner couch next to one of his roommates, though not before dropping his bag on the floor haphazardly.

“I see your interview has gone well?” Olivia mumbled behind her phone, not even looking up. Her purple ombre hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and she didn't put on makeup. Gabriel grumbled something incoherent, his face smushed into the back pillow of the couch with his ass in the air.

Olivia laughed at her roommate's response, finally looking up from her phone. Gabriel felt her perfectly manicured fingernails drum on his lower back and swatted her away halfheartedly.

“You know Gabriel, your little _rubicito_ could walk in at any time and will see your ass on display.”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Gabriel quickly sat upright while he frantically tried to fix his shirt that slid up slightly from his previous position. Olivia laughed harder and even snorted slightly, making Gabriel smile a little even though he was annoyed by her antics.

“Vi, that's not funny. And how did you know that he's blonde? I didn't even know he was blonde,” Gabe exclaimed while pouting slightly from the tease. In the corner of his eye, Gabriel saw Olivia showing her phone displaying a wiki page all about–

Oh, duh.

He was a soldier, of course people made a wikipedia page all about Jack Morrison. When Gabe took Olivia's phone out of her hands to look closer (with visible restraint from the Latina), he found out that both Jack and Angela indeed went to the same school in Indiana, that Jack’s natural eye color is a mystery, and he majored in theatre.  
.  
.  
.  
...wait

Gabriel put the phone even closer to his face, almost planting the glass on his nose, to clarify what he just read. Olivia pulled her phone back to her and waved a pointy index finger in her roommate's face, making a ‘tsk’ sound.

“Didn't you know?” she asked with an upturned lip and had a mysterious glint in her eyes. Gabe knew her long enough to know that Olivia was just fucking with him. She was the only person that knew this information, aside from Jack himself, his family, and maybe Angela.

“So, he's not a stereotypical _rubicito_ with blue eyes then, huh? I have to see it to believe it, Vi.” Gabriel wasn't a man to be impressed easily. He also didn't like stereotyping people either, but there just weren't that many blondes that _didn't_ have blue eyes in his generation, given Jack is the same or around the same age as him. So to hear this from _Olivia_ of all people did seem a little sketchy.

“Eh, that's fair. Lucky for you I have some evidence to back myself up–” Olivia put up her index finger when she saw Gabriel's mouth open to speak, “Buuuut, you have to find out for yourself. I can't always get stuff for you, _veijo_.” Olivia proceeded to boop Gabriel on the nose. Before Gabe could shout at his roommate about him not liking her touching his nose, Olivia rushed out of the living room while she laughed and twiddled her fingers at him.

Gabriel grumbled under his breath about kicking Olivia out of the apartment, mostly from anger and the amount of teasing she does to him alone. She was just being an annoyance, plus that wiki article had no evidence to back its statement up. At least, that's what Gabriel hoped.

{~~~~~~~~~~}

The next day  


{~~~~~~~~~~}

Honestly, where would Jack be without Angela? The darker blonde was drawing a _very_ rough diagram of where he wanted stuff to go in his shop, and after he showed Angela the crude picture she immediately took them to the nearest craft supply store and paid for everything. He tried to persuade the platinum blonde to help pay at least _something_ , but Jack should know better. He could barely pay his part of the rent that month, and Angela even paid for most of it!

He never liked being excess luggage for a person he loved. It made him feel useless and guilty.

When they were done getting the necessities of Jack's planned interior design, they went straight to the rented space. It was late evening, and the cold southern California weather fogged up the soon-to-be store’s glass. Someone was inside however, because Jack saw a faint silhouette moving about in his new shop. The darker blonde looked warily to Angela, wondering if she knew who it was. From what Jack knows when he asked his friend, only him and Angela had the key to the rented space, so he was incredibly confused and terrified to say the least.

Angela rubbed his upper back soothingly to try and rid of the former soldier's nerves, and lightly pushed him along with her. Jack left behind his handgun and its holster rather reluctantly, but that didn't stop him from reaching where it was supposed to be. Not feeling the familiar tough leather shot a jolt of terror up his spine, and Angela was there in an instant.

“You left it on your dresser, remember? It's okay, dear. I gave Gabriel a spare key, it's only him.” Hearing her angelic and soothing voice in piano volume calmed down Jack's nerves a little. Plus, he really wanted to give Gabriel something for not backing down on Angela's request to help him. Maybe a Goldie? Gabriel might not know flower language, but it was appealing to look at, and it smelled heavenly.

Jack was the one that opened the door, as he was closest. Angela kept an eye out for him when he was vulnerable outside. When the foggy glass was out of his vision, Jack could clearly see Gabriel with his back to them, scurrying through some things. Metal bumping against metal could be heard in front of where he was, and how he sat was making his heels squish against his ass cheeks. Jack knew Angela could clearly see where his eyes were looking at. Her smirk and side-glancing at Jack's slowly reddening face didn't help the situation any better.

{~~~~~~~~~~}

Gabriel was rummaging through his stash of spray paint cans; his trusty piece of cardboard for swatches was off to the side next to him. It wasn't too far for the paint to miss the board entirely, but was close enough to keep the concrete clean. The brunette forgot to put on old clothes that he didn't mind getting dirty, so he dug out his emergency apron from the tupperware container — where he kept most of his spray painting supplies in — to at least keep the front of his sweater safe. Currently Gabriel was on the floor, in a full kneeling position, testing out his cans to see which ones have run dry or close to being dead. Only two were completely out (which were black and dark red, the main colors he used), and the rest were fine. The brunette sighed heavily while he ran his fingers through deep brown curls and began packing up his things to go home, when he heard a deep voice coming from the door behind him.

“I thought Angie was joking when she said you have a nice ass.” Gabriel jumped a little, making his thighs squish underneath his weight from his sitting position and pushed his butt up even more from his heels. When he looked back toward the suspecting voice that caused his embarrassment, he watched Angela backslap Jack on his bicep causing the man to laugh loudly.

Even though Gabriel was very pissed at Jack for scaring him, even exhaling loudly through his nose to show his discontent, he couldn't help but smile a little at their antics, the tips of his ears darkening a bit from Jack's laughter. The brunette noticed some grocery bags hanging from Jack's hands and one on Angela's arm, and pointed at it quizzically when he stood up. Angela, not distracted from her friend's laughter, looked down to where Gabriel was pointing and placed down the bag she held onto the cement.

“We went shopping for some decorations at a nearby craft store. We didn't want you to leave us out on the fun,” Angela smirked at Gabe with her arms crossed, looking between him and Jack, who was now calming down and wiping an invisible tear from his eye.

Gabriel went to speak but then noticed his respirator was still fastened to his jaw. He sighed lightly, hoping his two clients didn't hear his annoyance from a cosmetic of all things. He really didn't like wearing it; it looked stupid on him, and he had to comb and wash his beard after wearing it a long time. But, he designed it himself. And it'd been with him for over seven years, so it did have some sentimental value to it.

The respirator was a tinted white, almost bone color. Two inhalation filters were on opposite sides of a painted barn owl beak, making the front look like a skull. Black leather straps were the reason the fucking thing was uncomfortable in the first place — the leather rubbed above and below his earlobes constantly — and Gabriel wished he picked a different material when designing it.

After unwrapping the straps that was the bane of his existence, and putting it with his stash of paint cans, he had some sense to bring a mini comb for his goatee and started brushing it while talking to his client. “You're an ass, you know that?”

“Yeah I know, but yours is better,” Jack smugly retorted back with a big cocky grin smacked on his pale face. Gabriel had never been complimented about his ass from a guy before, so it felt pretty weird. But flattering, especially when it came from Jack. To distract himself from the illegally attractive man in front of him, he grumbled something incoherent under his breath while taking off his formerly spotless apron and tucked it neatly inside the tupperware container. He then stopped himself, and looked back at the duo that were still standing in the same place. Jack looking a little less smug, glancing back at the door a few times he and Angela just went through, and Angie was checking over the receipts and decor to make sure they match.

“Wait, who even bought those? Aren't you broke as fuck?” Gabriel pointed to the bags still hanging from Jack's hands at his side, a confused expression on his face with an eyebrow raised. He remembered Angela had said to him that Jack was pretty unstable financially, and that was why he moved to LA in the first place. Gabe looked at the other man's face, mainly looking at his bright blue orbs that had a little embarrassment in them. His light dusting of blush over his cute freckles proved his point, but Gabriel caught himself locking eyes with Jack's again. The Latino remembered the conversation he had with Olivia back at the apartment and the wikipedia page about the exact same dude standing in front of him. Their little trance was interrupted when Angela apologized to the men that she had left some of the decor back in the car, now remembering after Gabriel had asked about them. But, then Gabriel saw the giant grin across her face as she rushed back outside.

“Well, I tried to pay for it, but we all know I can't do that. Angie payed for everything, including my part of the rent this month,” Jack mumbled the last part under his breath, but Gabriel heard it perfectly. He didn't want to seem like a piece of shit that laughs at people's financial instability. Hell, he was struggling himself too before taking up Amélie's offer. Without her, he wouldn't even be standing here and having this conversation. Would most likely still be living on the streets. So instead, he put both hands on Jack's broad shoulders to make him look up at him with those shy blue orbs. Gabriel smiled not out of pity, but because he genuinely loved what he was looking at. Even at the same height as him, Jack looked so small and vulnerable in his hands, blue eyes glossy with thought and glancing over every detail Gabriel had on his face. He saw Jack glance over his scars, his sharp cheekbones, over his amber eyes again, and finally his thin lips under a thick moustache. Gabriel couldn't help but chuckle at the slowly reddening face in front of him, loving how only his features can make the blonde melt into putty.

“Guess you're glad Angela hired me then, yeah?” Jack made a sound of agreement but it ended more like a nervous hiccup. Gabriel wondered if he was going over personal boundaries or physical contact, but he didn't want to find out. He squeezed both of Jack's shoulders lightly before stepping away to his container.

“I'll get you back into financial stability in no time, _hermoso_ ,” Gabriel waved dismissively while he continued to pack up his temporarily abandoned equipment. He stopped for a moment when he heard light footsteps headed his direction, but resumed his packing.

He heard a soft clear of a tight throat.

“Hey, Gabe?”

He'd only been called that by Olivia, and it annoyed him to no end. But, the nickname sounded more endearing coming from Jack, however.

“Yeah, Jackie?”

He heard a slight hitch of a breath from the blonde. Gabriel imagined Jack's face being that pretty shade of pink from earlier and chuckled lightly. The sound of a shoe scuffing against the concrete floor from anxiety arrived to his ears and turned around again to find Jack looking like he's about to faint from high blood pressure. Something was behind his back, but it didn't seem to be a small object. From the way Jack was holding it behind him, it was fragile, and could easily break if not held properly.

“I– uhm, I'm not sure if this'll be of any sentimental value since we just met, and you don't know a lot about the language of flowers— anyway! I want you to um, have this." Jack brought what was behind his back out in front for both Gabriel and him to see. A medium-sized clear Mason jar covered with little heart stickers was in his palms. The jar was filled ⅓ full of water, and four golden yellow flowers were placed inside, tied tightly with a zip tie at their stems. There was a note hanging from a string of twine on the neck of the jar. Not-so-professional handwriting was scribbled on the cardstock, though that hardly mattered.

“Goldenrod: good fortune  
I hope we can stay friends for a long while, Gabriel!  
P.S. Happy Valentine's Day  
-Jack”

Gabriel looked at the bouquet, then at Jack. Then at the bouquet again. He slowly reached a hand out to gently take it out of pale hands, looking at Jack every few seconds as if it wasn't gifted to him. Gabe treated the jar as if it might shatter into a million pieces if he put too much pressure on the textured glass. Their fingers brushed while Jack transferred the flowers to its new owner.

It smelled of a nice, warm, summer's day. Looked like it was freshly picked not too long ago, and the petals reminded Gabriel of Jack's hair; a perfect shade of bright gold, like the sun.

“It's perfect.” Gabriel whispered to nobody in particular. He glanced up just in time to see the blonde smile sheepishly while bright blue irises were tilted down, a light blush dusting his pale cheeks. The blonde murmured something under his breath along the lines of “glad you like them” and that made Gabriel smile a little to himself.

Maybe Amélie was right about getting this job. That wouldn't be so bad after all, if he got to see Jack every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goldenrod: Good fortune, a long friendship ahead of us  
> The meaning of every flower used in the fic will be right here in the end notes. Just wanted to give a future sight to y'all! Again, extreme kudos to my beta-reader, ChubbyGhostQuinn! As always, Michael Chu is our god, we add salt to our cookies, and Jack is gay <3


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flirting has begun and so has the flowers Jack gifts to Gabriel! They both are pining, but they don't realize it because they're two gigantic idiots in love lmao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spring is almost here, so the next chapter will involve some sort of Easter or Spring theme ^^
> 
> As always, [ChubbyGhostQuinn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbyGhostQuinn/pseuds/ChubbyGhostQuinn) had generously volunteered to beta read this chapter! Go check them out please, they also have amazing works they've written!

“Hey Angie? Are the names written down yet?” Jack was currently putting together some mini shelves next to a cute front desk they found at the craft and hobby store. Angela was in the back of the building writing down the orders of different breeds of flowers to start with in the shop. The platinum blonde hummed a light “mhm” while she continued scribbling down the names of flower companies they bought from before and trusted. Jack found it pretty funny and ironic how an ex-military soldier was setting up a flower shop with petite furniture inside. But, he enjoyed it nonetheless; it was his passion to make people happy with flowers. Plus, it was cute as hell, and he already found a new friend along the way.

“Alright, dear. I wrote down the companies and their numbers right here for you. I'm going to nap for a while, you know where to find me!” Angela stood up from the chair and walked over where Jack was to give him a light hug. The darker blonde could clearly see the tiredness and exhaustion in the woman's features, and he felt extremely guilty for putting this much stress on her while she had a very demanding job already. He knew what happened to people under a lot of pressure, including himself.

“You don't have to come in tomorrow, Angie. I know how fast-paced the hospital can be on weekends,” Jack reassured his friend with a soft gaze. The lighter blonde looked up at him with a hint of worry in her eyes, but Jack just nodded silently to let her know that he'd be alright. Angela sighed lightly and grabbed both of the former soldier's calloused hands with her small ones and squeezed softly.

“Call me right away if there's any trouble.” The look on her face reminded Jack of a strict but protective parent, “Any at all.”

“You'll always have my back, medic.” Angela smiled warmly at their old chime and Jack smiled back. They used to always say that when one of them got hurt, either emotionally or physically.

“And you'll keep the front lines safe, soldier.”

They hugged tightly for a solid ten seconds before breaking apart. Angela opened the glass doors making the bronze bell chime quietly, walked out, and closed them softly. She was out of Jack's sight in a bustle of people.

Jack immediately got to work calling all the phone numbers Angela wrote down and placing orders of fifty flowers each. It looked like his friend had suggested to buy ones that appealed to first time viewers and had no idea what flower language was. But, Jack trusted Angela's gut and went with it. The woman also doodled some mini roses and vines along the edges of the sticky note, and that made him smile. He went ahead and also bought a few dozen camellias of every known color; it _was_ the shop name, after all.

There was a connected space in the back of the building that Jack turned into a walk-in cooler for the flowers to stay in and keep fresh. So far the cooler is empty, and the thermostat in the room was off to save their electricity. But, there would be shelves, glass Mason jars, and unpainted pottery for storing and organizing their stock.

(Jack told himself and Angela he would only use the jars for Gabriel's gifts. The platinum blonde just gave him a knowing glance and a raised eyebrow in response.)

Sprayducks (watering cans in the shape of a Psyduck Pokémon) were outside the room for easier access. Jack found them in the garden center of the store and thought they were adorable. Sprayducks were also the blonde's favorite water pail from all the games, so that was a major plus. Angela brought over a few wood chairs from the hospital waiting lounge so they don't sit on freezing metal while arranging flowers in the vases. Jack didn't really mind about sitting on cold metal — the military did wonders to your pain tolerance — but he knew Angela just wanted extra chairs for his future co-workers.

After half a dozen awkward conversations later, Jack had placed orders for all the flowers and would be ready to be picked up two days before their grand opening day. Perfect. Jack texted Angela the date so he could get her schedule that day and pick them up together. He had a lot to do in that span of time, and he wasn't going to waste any of it. While he grabbed all the sticky notes covered with Angela's messy handwriting and recycled them, Jack debated on calling Gabriel for help. But, that wasn't in his contract to help him other than doing what he was hired to do. Plus, he only knew the artist for less than a week. Even with his decision in mind, the blonde couldn't help but let his eyes wander to his phone on the makeshift front desk. They even exchanged numbers the second time they met just for that reason. Even if Jack did call Gabriel, he had no idea how busy he could be on a daily basis. But, it wouldn't hurt to call and see how Gabe was doing in his favor.

Before Jack even registered that he hit the speed dial for Gabriel's phone number labelled “Gabi”, he heard it ring and nervously counted how many it took before the brunette picked up the phone, if at all.

{~~~~~~~~~~}

_RIIIIIING_

Shuffling of bed covers and a mass of blankets could be heard from the bed Gabriel was sleeping in. He was always a light sleeper.

_RIIIIIING_

A groan of displeasure and annoyance followed by a raspy ‘nooooo’ came from his mouth and Gabe flipped over to read the number ID on his way too bright phone.

_RIIIIIING_

Gabriel read the ID as best he could when he was half-awake, and even though the call screen was mostly dark, it felt like he was looking directly at the sun. The darkness of his room didn't help one bit. The time on the top right corner of his screen read 8:46 AM. He groaned again and slid the call open. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

_RII-_

“Hello?” the Latino grumbled into the speaker.

“Hey Gabriel, do you think you can come by the shop to help me with some things?” Gabriel did not expect his new client, and maybe new friend? He didn't know what their relationship was beside employees. He did not expect Jack to sound _way_ too happy this early in the morning. He was a farm boy and a soldier though, so his internal alarm clock probably made him an early bird and it stayed with him. What Gabriel _really_ didn't expect was for him to mimic the golden blonde's attitude. He instantly brightened up and felt more awake as Jack talked on the other line.

“Oh, sure! But, you do know what time it is, right?” Gabriel tried and failed to not snort when he heard an audible gasp on the other side.

“Oh, I'm sorry! I totally forgot that not a lot of people work on the weekends and they usually sleep in! You don't have to, I swear!”

“Relax, _querido_. It's not too early, was just messing with you,” Gabriel couldn't help the smile grow on his face when he heard a whiney but good-natured, “Gaaabe! You ass!” from Jack.

“What time do you want me to be there?” Gabe slowly got out of bed and silently stretched his arms up over his head, with his phone sandwiched between his ear and shoulder. His voice was muffled from a yawn escaping his mouth, “Do you want me to bring my supplies?”

“Honestly I just wanted to talk while setting up decorations,” Jack laughed nervously, and if that wasn't the most adorable thing Gabriel heard. The brunette had fallen and he had fallen _hard_. “And you can come now, Angela hit the hay for tomorrow, so I don't have any company.”

“Well, now I really can't refuse. I'll be there in,” Gabe drawled as he looked at the clock on his nightstand and calculated in his head, “around twenty five minutes. You won't be getting any lonelier by then, I assume?”

“I assume so! Thank you, Gabe. You really didn't have to agree,” Jack replied into his speaker. Even though Gabriel couldn't see his face, he knew Jack was smiling softly judging from his tone of voice. This caused Gabriel to smile himself. “Well I did, and you can't change my mind. See you in a few.”

“Thank you again, Gabe! See you!” Gabriel hung up their call after their farewells and quickly got dressed. Despite his mood after being rudely woken from his phone ringing (definitely not blaming Jack), Gabe couldn't help but feel way more giddy about going outside. Usually he liked being cooped up in his room working on thumbnails for his next gig, or going on social media, but Gabriel also liked making exceptions for himself.

His hair was being way more stubborn than usual, so he whipped out the trusty can of hairspray Gabriel kept on his bathroom counter and combed his hair slicked back, all while listening to some old hip hop songs on his phone. When he looked back in the mirror, he made a disgusted face at his hair that was styled for nothing. He was just visiting Jack in his shop for Christ's sake, it wasn't like he was taking him out to dinner. Gabriel decided to just slap a beanie on his head; it was cold outside anyway. He would deal with washing the spray out of his hair later.

As Gabriel walked down the stairs with car keys and phone in hand, he saw Amélie on the couch with Olivia both looking back at him with knowing glances and wide grins. Gabe became increasingly worried the more they didn't say anything, his dark eyebrows furrowing more and more from their quietness. Eventually he got fed up from not getting an explanation.

“Oooookay. Well, I'm gonna go out. Don't break anything, will ya? You break, you buy!” Gabriel called over his shoulder as he walked out the front door and locked it with an exasperated sigh. He muttered, “Olivia…” under his breath and walked out of the complex.

Thank the fucking lord he put on a beanie because it was _snowing outside_. Gabriel was sure he stood there for almost two minutes just watching the mini powders of snowflakes float to the ground. Not even his _abuela_ had ever seen snowfall in southern California.

“Oh my fucking god,” Gabe muttered before walking back to his apartment door. He didn't have any snow treading shoes, so he would have to deal with his fur boots he hadn't worn in 3000 years. Thankfully, after getting back outside the complex, no heavy or cold breeze was blowing the snow adrift, so Gabriel had no problem getting to Jack's store. Even if he had to travel on foot instead of by car. Thankfully little ice gathered on the sidewalk, so he took off running.

Gabriel arrived at the flower shop in no time, but he was a little out of breath from not running in a long time. “I need to exercise again,” Gabriel huffed. The keyring meant to hold his car and house keys was now embedded with the key to the storefront doors. He quickly unlocked said doors, wanting to get out of the snow as soon as possible, and hearing the bronze bell above the frame made a fluffy head of blonde hair quickly stick out of the cooler door. The panicked expression on pale complexion soon melted into one of pure happiness once Jack realized it was Gabriel.

“Hey, Gabe! It's understandable that you were a couple minutes late by the way; it almost never snows here, right?” Jack inquired while entering past the doorway he was just in. The blonde had a mint green long sleeve shirt on with the sleeves rolled up, along with a white apron that contrasted nicely with his skin color. Dirt covered gardening gloves were holding a bag of soil up to his chest so it wouldn't spill, and Gabriel could clearly see some ceramic and glass pots packed with dirt behind Jack inside the cooler.

“Nope,” Gabriel drawled as he popped the ‘p’, “Not even my _abuela_ has seen snow in California before. The last time was in 2019, but it melted quickly I heard.” The blonde hummed in acknowledgement behind the makeshift front counter, and began to close the metal door while putting the bag of soil on a nearby shelf.

“You know, I expected way more inches of snowfall the first time I'd seen it back home,” the florist hummed quietly, more to himself, Gabriel noticed. But, that didn't stop a question flying out of his mouth before he realized.

“Wait, Indiana snows?” the brunette cursed at himself afterward, immediately remembering that Indiana was located in the midwest, and thus, snowed in Winter.

Jack laughed heartily, making Gabriel blush at his own stupidity and fat mouth. The blonde's laugh was a nice thing to hear though, despite the context.

“Well, unfortunately for the crops, yeah. The soil was way too damp after the snow melted, and it was a pain in the ass to replant them.” Jack’s laugh simmered down to a light chuckle, “It was my first independent harvest too.”

“Yikes, I could never live my life on a farm. My butt stays right here in the suburbs,” Gabriel replied, shrugging. It was true. The entire Reyes family was located in California. Some migrated up north, but they still kept to city life. Gabe kept his eyes subtly on Jack, not to watch for him, but mostly just to observe how he does what he loves.

“Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you,” Jack suddenly stood up from a squat position, and went inside the cooler to retrieve Gabriel's gift. The latter was a little whiplashed from the blonde's sudden change in topic, but he didn't complain. Flowers arranged by Jack personally had been the best god damn gift he ever received, and he selfishly hoped they never stop.

Gabriel didn't know when Jack emerged from the cooler, but what he saw was the florist hiding something behind his back once again. But, this time seemed different. Instead of pure anxiety and nervousness practically radiating off of Jack like last time, the blonde seemed perfectly confident in his gift for Gabriel. It made him smile softly despite himself knowing, and that in return got Jack smiling back.

“This was arranged way better than last time, and I think you'll like them! Put together by yours truly.” Jack brought out what was behind his back, and what Gabriel saw in the medium sized Mason jar made his eyes glitter in admiration.

White and lavender colored flower stems were arranged clockwise and draped down the neck of the jar. A few spiked leaves were floating quietly on the surface of the water, and a trimmed Fern bush was sitting at the bottom of the glass fully submerged.

To say Gabriel was astounded by the amount of pure love and care Jack put into making the arrangement might as well been offensive. Gabe carefully took the Mason jar out of Jack's palms and touched one of the stems in fascination. When Gabriel looked at the neck, he became even more happy when he found another note tied by a rope of twine. Jack's handwriting was more controlled and elegant than before, and that made Gabe smile even more.

Heather (white) - Protection  
Heather (lavender) - Solitude and Admiration  
Fern - Confidence  
Rose Leaves - Hopeful  
I feel safer when you're by my side, Gabe!  
-Jack ♡

{~~~~~~~~~~}

Jack looked up just in time, from gazing at an interesting speck of dirt on his shoe, to see Gabriel sniffle and tear up. Immediately the blonde panicked and cursed at himself for being so insensitive.

“O-oh god! Dammit I knew I should've asked if you had any allergies–” Jack exhaled a shaky breath and quickly stepped toward Gabriel's direction to get the flowers away from his skin. “Fuck, okay. It's...it's okay! I can arrange a new one! I can–”

Jack's terrified rambling and trembling ceased when he heard a wet chuckle come from Gabriel's mouth. Shocked cornflower blue irises traveled over Gabe's body, shaking from quiet laughter. Jack's hard work and TLC was being clutched tightly to Gabriel's chest, as if his life was swimming in the jar with the flowers and leaves.

“Jack relax, _querido_. These are happy tears,” the brunette chuckled heartily, wiping at said tears for emphasis, and made a motion that mimicked a gentleman asking a lady for a dance. This caused Jack to snap out of his surprised haze and softly smiled himself. Jack placed his own hand in Gabriel's and stepped closer. It was such an intimate gesture, and Jack was not prepared for it, but he took the risk anyway and placed his left hand on a broad shoulder. Gabriel gently placed the flower arrangement on a nearby shelf and mirrored the blonde's positions; right hand entwined with Jack's left, and left hand on the latter's hip.

“ _Eres tan hermosa, cariño_ ,” Gabriel murmured quietly, and saying Jack melted in the other's hands and dark honey voice was a complete understatement. They almost stopped their slow waltz around the shop altogether because Jack's legs felt like jello all of a sudden. He was also pretty sure Gabriel was grinning because of how lovestruck he looked. He dug the hole, and he never wanted to climb out.

“Hey, uh, do you like hugs? I want to make sure before I act,” the brunette smiled sheepishly and subconsciously squeezed Jack's hand he held out of anxiety. The blonde knew that feeling way too well, so he squeezed back to make Gabriel look at him. Jack grinned and pulled him into a tight hug, getting a surprised sound out of Gabriel.

“I always need hugs, especially since I just found out you're more huggable than Angie,” Jack mumbled into Gabriel's jacket. The former felt more than heard Gabe's body rumble with a soft chuckle that sounded more endearing than he expected. It was like a baritone cello on its F chord, and it was music to Jack's ears. They swayed back and forth, and just enjoyed one another's embrace while listening to each other's breathing and slightly fast heartbeats. Jack had sworn he heard a slight hitch in Gabriel's breathing when he inhaled the brunette's scent on his clothing. Smelled just like a combination of different spices and seasonings, and leftover hairspray that didn't get to its destination. A domestic image of Gabriel popped in Jack's mind, and he couldn't help but blush deeply, so he buried his face deeper in the artist's apparel to try and hide it.

Yeah, he could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fern - Fascination; Confidence; Shelter  
> White Heather - Protection; Wishes will come true  
> Lavender Heather - Admiration; Solitude  
> Rose Leaf - You may hope
> 
> aaaaaaaa,,, I hope this one's a goodie, I had a lot of fun picking out the flowers Jack arranged in the jar ^^'


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Major PTSD and panic attack warning!! Please read the tags for specification ^^
> 
> Gabe decides to give Jack some flowers in return. What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My pal [ChubbyGhostQuinn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbyGhostQuinn/pseuds/ChubbyGhostQuinn) is a lifesaver for beta-reading this aaaaa,,, please give them some dang love

“Why don't you just visit him as a friend?” Gabriel jumped out of his desk chair and sharply turned around with an intimidating—and slightly embarrassed—expression, only to find Amélie leant against his doorframe looking unimpressed. She even had the audacity to look at her perfectly manicured fingernails while she talked. “I've heard you two became more acquainted than I expected. Though, that's not exactly a problem, _non_?”

Gabriel squinted at her from his seat for a few moments, and Amélie was clearly getting annoyed at his silence. Raven black hair followed behind her as the French baker tilted her head back against the doorframe and drummed the same thoroughly examined fingernails on her bicep.

The Latino looked back at his cluttered desk filled with thumbnail sketches, and thought about his roommate's suggestion. He really did want to just hang out with Jack without any work in the way, but of course he wouldn't want to admit that.

Amélie huffed quietly from her spot and went to grab the brass door handle to close it, but not before speaking to the brunette one last time. “I contacted Angela so we could leave you two alone in his shop this weekend. You know where to find me if you need anything. _Au revoir, mon ami_.” And with that, Gabriel's door was closed softly, leaving the brunette alone with his thoughts again.

The Latino sighed heavily and ran his fingers through the curls of brown hair on his head out of habit. He took his beanie off a few hours ago, and said gray headwear hung on a hat rack next to a full body mirror Amélie got for him. He rarely looked through that specific mirror though; it just lay against his bedroom wall, collecting mysterious dust and particles that floated in his room.

Gabriel thought for a moment if Angela knew about flower language as well. It made sense for a flower lover like Jack to rant about the plants to the woman. He then shot up from his seat on the chair and raced to the living room; he already knew the baker would be there, waiting.

Just as he expected, his French roommate gave Gabriel a slip of paper once the brunette speed walked to the leather couch where Amélie sat. Angela's supposed phone number was written on the white note in calligraphy-style handwriting; no doubt Amélie wrote it herself. Gabriel thanked the woman and jogged back up the stairs to his room and immediately punched in the sequence of numbers on his phone.

While the dial rang, Gabriel was thinking about what to ask the platinum blonde. What Jack's favorite flower was? No, that was too generic, and Jack would see Gabriel's idea from a mile away. His train of thought got interrupted when he heard a familiarly soft, but calming voice on the other end.

“Hello, Gabriel. Amélie told me you would be calling,” Angela giggled on the other end when the brunette stuttered in surprise. Eventually he found words to ask a coherent question after a few moments of spilling out consonants.

“How did you know the number was mine?” Gabriel inquired after the shock. That made Angela laugh, and, out of spite and nervousness, the Latino chuckled along with her until they both calmed down.

“Amélie gave it to me, dear. Also, she said you were going to ask me about the breeds of flowers you should gift to Jack? I suggest you grab a piece of paper to write them down.”

Gabriel scrambled to get a spare sheet of blank paper he hadn't drawn on and grabbed the pencil he was using before. “It's not too long, right? And just one flower each? Why can't you just message me th–”

He heard a ‘tsk’ on the other end and imagined Angela tapping on an invisible watch on her wrist impatiently. “If you want these flowers by tomorrow, you need to stop asking questions and act now before you see Jack. And no, you'll see.”

The list was far from long, much to Gabriel's surprise and amusement. He later asked Angela, after writing the flower name down and the quantity for the bouquet, who was going to pay for them. The woman stated that Amélie would pay for everything, and Gabriel just had to pick them up himself and arrange them in a nice vase. He decided to use the Mason jar that came with his first gift from Jack; the Goldenrods. He thought it would be a nice trip down memory lane—he even kept the little heart stickers on.

(Gabriel would never admit to even Amélie that he had kissed every sticker on the glass at least once, and wished he could kiss those perfectly plush lips later in his life.)

The brunette smiled fondly at the vivid image of the golden blonde looking down sheepishly and smiling softly after Gabriel accepted the flowers. He was extremely adorable when flustered, and he couldn't help but wonder if he could make the florist blush in a different way.

-

When Gabriel walked back down the stairs to the living room the next morning, not only was Amélie there, but his entire roommate clique were sitting on their many self-claimed chairs and loveseats in the room. Akande, one of Olivia's friends and part of her gossip group, was visiting and sitting on the floor while maintaining his prosthetic arm with a screwdriver. Gabriel didn't know the Nigerian constructor personally, but he was the only one the Latino tolerated out of all three of them, so he got a pass.

They all looked up and smiled innocently at Gabriel (except for Amélie, she actually looked predatory) and the brunette was pretty sure he eventually had to get used to the creepiness. After a few seconds of silence and no movement, Akande spoke up for everyone.

“So, Gabriel! I heard you have a date with the local florist in town later, yes?” The brunette knew the question was coming, but that didn't stop a light sigh escape his mouth.

“Yes, and I’m going to ask you guys to _not_ intervene?” Gabriel replied while he looked straight at Olivia, whom she put her hands up in surrender with a cheeky grin.

“Hey, come on Gabe! I'm not that bad,” the Latina teased lightly at the brunette. The latter just raised an eyebrow at her in response. Amélie got up from her seat across the room, and pulled out her indigo leather wallet.

“Angela said earlier that the flowers will be picked up in an hour. This will be enough.” Amélie slapped a fifty US dollar in Gabriel's awaiting palm, and the brunette took it graciously. “Don't buy anything else other than the flowers. I want my change back.”

“Roger. I'll most likely be gone the entire day,” Gabriel heard wolf whistling and snickers from all three of them as he turned back toward the stairs, “So, don't break anything while I'm gone. There's leftovers in the microwave if no one buys takeout.” The brunette slipped back up the stairs to get ready for the awaiting day.

Gabriel didn't feel like it was considered a date yet, so he tugged on his favorite pair of dark gray sweatpants and a black shirt. The Latino checked the forecast the night before, even though they were incorrect most of the time, but he put on a light hooded jacket just in case. California weather could be unpredictable in the spring.

After getting ready for his unofficial date, his favorite gray beanie was waiting for him near the door. Gabriel grabbed his keys and phone on the coffee table, and headed outside.

{~~~~~~~~}

“Okay, dear. I'll be back right after my shift ends, alright?” Angela gathered her bag and phone while rising from her seat on the chair. Jack gave a small smile from across the store where the shelves that displayed different sized pots were. Fragrances they displayed on the wall shelves soothed his headache. The platinum blonde walked over to Jack and gave him a light hug. The golden blonde could tell his schtick wasn't working anymore, as Angela looked straight in Jack's emerald green eyes.

“Tell me. I need to know if you're not well before leaving. You know I can't leave the facility if I'm not on lunch break,” the platinum blonde pushed lightly. Jack shook his head and smiled more genuinely to let her know that he would be alright by himself. Angela smiled back hesitantly, still slightly unsure, and quietly exited through the glass doors. The bronze bell rang softly above the frame, alerting of her departure. The golden blonde watched the doctor leave while he told himself that he _was_ going to be okay.

It was a lie. His smile instantly dropped after she was out of his sight.

“Jesus, I knew that was a bad idea,” Jack sighed behind his hand that went up to rub his tired face. The blonde forgot to take his medicine last night, and didn't want to hear another lecture from Angela if he told her. He knew she would tell him to not mess up the schedule and rant about the dangers of underdosing on prescribed medication. The nightmares and ten minutes of non-stop vomiting that morning made him regret that decision instantly; he even debated with one of the voices whether he should run out the doors to try and find his friend.

He stayed put and listened to it once again.

The fragrance did nothing to soothe the migraine anymore, so Jack traveled behind the front counter where most of the real potted plants were located and stashed for later use. His footsteps were heavy and unstable. The golden blonde had to immediately put a hand on the unpainted wall to steady his hyperventilating. It was too much. The flowers didn't help at all, but Jack didn't have any more strength to go somewhere else to calm it.

A dry sob escaped the florist's pale lips and a steady stream of tears rolled down a strong pair of cheekbones. A puddle of the salty water started collecting near Jack's shoe on the floor. It was almost embarrassing, even if the blonde wasn't exactly paying attention to it specifically. He slowly sunk to the ground on his knees and curled into a fetal position, tears still flowed freely and formed another wet splotch on the tile. Voices whispered among themselves around Jack's head, and it made him gag and regurgitate from the dizziness.

“Holy shit.” A voice echoed in front of the blonde. This made the latter look up toward the noise, and the figure in front of him almost gave Jack a heart attack.

It was still daylight, and the shadow that the person casted from the windows behind them made them look even more menacing. Clothed in all dark colors, too. The florist shouted and huddled up in the far corner; tear stains evident on Jack's pale complexion from crying for so long. Bright green irises were dilated in fear, and they tracked every movement the figure made. He was never an aggressive person when he was like this. The blonde always took the ‘flight’ over ‘fight’ route; even if it meant getting hurt himself. Jack didn't want to hurt anyone anymore.

The person stood there for a while, and it made Jack even more frightened. When were they going to strike and kill him? Were they waiting for backup?

Strong arms wrapped around his form and Jack flailed wildly. When did they move? How did they get so close to him? He needed to escape, he needed to find Angela and apologize for lying to her. The golden blonde's tears moved freely down his cheeks once again. He couldn't take it. The florist vomited to the left to him. Well, there went his breakfast, along with his guts.

The arms that bound Jack useless released him quickly. After about five minutes of dry heaving and coughing, Jack's captor laid him up against a clean part of the wall, and got up from the blonde's side. At least the person was kind enough to give him space. The voices thought otherwise, but he didn't pay attention to them at that moment. Too focused on listening to the rustling of kitchen rags and aluminum cans bumping one another. When had the figure opened the cooler and went inside?

When the person came back, Jack's eyes were closed and his breathing evened out somewhat. He did hear the distinct sound of the window cleaner's bottle being used, and the rag most likely being used fo clean up the vomit next to him. Now the blonde almost felt bad. Almost.

“I swear, you surprise me every single goddamn time I see you,” the person mumbled while he worked on scrubbing the stain. “Looks like you killed two birds with one stone this time.”

Jack slowly opened his eyes and curiously squinted at the guy—his captor—next to him. The dark gray beanie and brown, curly locks gave away who he was. Along with the smoky and rich voice that was known for turning Jack's body into jello.

“You gave me quite a scare, Jackie. You should've told me your episodes could be this bad,” Gabriel rumbled from his spot. It was more to himself, Jack noticed, since the blonde almost didn't catch the words. He never told the brunette of his mental instability, so how did he know about his episodes?

 _Angela_.

“And schizophrenia,” Jack mumbled back, which caused the brunette to squeak in surprise. The florist chuckled at how the artist was more jumpy than himself. Plus, the sound was adorable.

“Do a lot of people mistake your schizophrenia for PTSD since you were in the military?” Gabriel inquired softly. Jack shook his head slightly at that, but it made his headache come back. So he just stuck with verbal answers.

“I have both. Was diagnosed with psychosis when I was nineteen, but it worsened after graduating from bootcamp. And PTSD is pretty obvious,” Jack nervously laughed. When the blonde glanced back at the brunette, he noticed Gabriel grabbed another cloth and started cleaning the florist's face.

“You don't deserve all the shit you went through. You still put on that handsome smile with your head held high even though you've seen way too much for your age,” the Latino murmured after he was done wiping the dried tears on Jack's reddened cheeks. Both from crying and from how close their faces were. The blonde couldn't help but grin cheekily when he heard Gabriel call his smile handsome.

“You're so sappy, I thought this was supposed to be me talking about my shitty past,” the florist teased. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but it was super endearing to hear that Gabriel cared for his mental health. “How about you? You got any shit that messes up your brain?”

The brunette chuckled and gave a lopsided grin at Jack's comment, and shook his head slightly. This caused the blonde to laugh along with him. He appreciated that it was Gabriel that found him in that state of mind. He didn't want to imagine otherwise. The brunette traveled over to sit next to the florist at arm's length.

“Hey,” Gabriel focused back on looking at Jack's emerald orbs. “Thanks for helping me calm down, by the way. I know it must've been terrifying to see me like that when we were supposed to hang out.”

“You don't need to apologize, Jack. It’s not your fault this happened–” The brunette caught Jack looking anywhere but Gabriel's face, and that made him quirk an eyebrow. “What happened?”

The florist started trembling from nervousness of being yelled at, and the Latino immediately saved him from another breakdown. “Hey hey, it's okay, _cariño_. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. Shh…”

Gabriel outstretched both arms as if to signal an incoming hug, and Jack instantly accepted it. The blonde buried his face into the artist's fluffy jacket, and inhaled his scent. Still smelled of spices and seasonings, but he also got a whiff of something dark and musty, and that made Jack shudder. Gabriel took it as him being cold, so he rubbed circles into the florist's back to try and soothe the shivering. They rocked back and forth slowly on the tiled floor, and enjoyed each other's company.

Their miniature cuddle session temporarily ended after a while when Gabriel spoke quietly as to not disturb the atmosphere.

“I got something for you. You want me to give it to you now? I know how you like my warmth, so I just wanna ask before I move,” the artist teased to the blonde he was embracing. That made Jack blush because he knew he'd been caught red-handed. He nodded nonetheless, too curious to not accept Gabriel's offering. The latter hesitantly loosened his hold on Jack to let him go whenever the blonde wished. That made him smile softly up at the brunette, and he got the sweetest smile back in return. The florist was so tempted to squish his face against Gabriel's and claim those illegally plush lips for himself, but instead waited for a more appropriate time.

Gabriel got up from the floor and went in front of the counter to retrieve Jack's supposed gift. The blonde became even more curious when the brunette went to the shelf closest to the glass doors and came back with both hands behind his back. He reminded the florist of the times Jack gifted vaguely (vague enough for Gabriel to not comment) meaningful flowers to Gabriel; the potted plant behind his back to keep the petal colors a secret. People always underestimated the power that came with different colored petals.

He was correct on his gift being a flower bouquet when the brunette sat back right where he was before and set the Mason jar in front of them. Jack could clearly tell which breed the brunette picked out for him by just the scent and the texture of the petals.

White Camellias. _You're adorable_.

Jack couldn't help but grin and blush at the bluntness. There were no other petals or additions in the water, so the meaning didn't give any context. The blonde wasn't complaining though—far from it. He chuckled lightly and looked at Gabriel's confused, yet happy expression on his face.

“Please don't tell me it means something I would definitely regret later.” The florist laughed more sincerely at that. It bubbled from deep in his diaphragm, and it made his shoulders shake. The action calmed the artist's nerves enough to not make him look tense, and that was fine enough for Jack.

“As long as you're okay with unintentionally calling me adorable, you're perfectly fine,” the golden blonde grinned cheekily while he traced the texture of the rose-like petal shapes with his rough fingertips. It was a habit of sorts, but it helped Jack relax through the hardships.

When Jack looked back toward the brunette to the left of him, he saw Gabriel had covered his reddened face with his hands to save at least some dignity. The blonde found it really endearing that the former most likely picked out a breed of flowers that were known to be pretty.

“Did you think they would mean something insulting so you didn't have to say it out loud?” the florist joked with a lopsided smirk and raised eyebrow. That got a muffled “ha ha” from Gabriel, flustered face still in his calloused hands. Jack heard a few other mumbled phrases that came from the brunette's mouth, but they were also lost to the flesh that covered it purposefully. “Didn't quite catch that, Gabe.”

“Angela made me buy them. Said they were your favorite and to not put any other breeds with them.” Gabriel rubbed at his face in his own embarrassment. Jack, however, had a feeling that his long time friend was tied into all of this. Angela had a legit reason for not helping out in the store that day, which was her ten hour shift. The darker blonde even suggested she would rest before checking up on him. Ten hours of non-stop clinical check ups and physicals she had to perform, with no rest afterward? Fuck that.

But knowing her for most of their lives had some advantages to knowing stuff about each other more than even their closest relatives. Their chant itself could be used to describe their relationship perfectly without any context. The medic and the soldier. They protected and were there for each other through thick and thin. They consider each other siblings, and their parents were extremely close. To say Jack was even a bit surprised that Angela planned his and Gabriel's meetup was a complete lie.

“They're very pretty. And yes, they are my favorite colorations of Theaceae,” Jack softly spoke. He gently grabbed one of the brunette's dark hands and held it gently to give Gabriel a choice to retract. He did no such thing. Instead, the artist entwined their fingers while making eye contact with Jack to make sure it was okay. The florist smiled back, and he got a cheeky one in return that was covered by a recently trimmed goatee.

A mess of golden blonde hair rested against a sturdy and broad shoulder. The owner of said shoulders rested his chin atop Jack's head and wrapped his arms around his built frame in comfort. Gabriel exhaled a sigh of relief and snuggled closer against the florist's warm body. Jack smiled softly while breathing in the scent of spices and seasonings, and a hint of something dark and musty. It made Jack shudder and returned to the cuddling session Gabriel resumed.

Four white Camellias, which were arranged in a Mason jar covered with red heart stickers, were in front of them and glowed softly in the afternoon sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> White Camellia - You're adorable  
> Theaceae - the family where Camellias originate from

**Author's Note:**

> Heya! How'd you like this first chapter? I hope it's good. ChubbyGhostQuinn graciously volunteered to beta and they did an amazing job! It wouldn't have been nearly as good without them beta-ing ^^  
> Well, I hope you guys have a good day/night! And remember! Michael Chu is our god, we add salt to our cookies, and Jack is gay <3
> 
> Link to my beta-reader, check them out here!  
> \- [ChubbyGhostQuinn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChubbyGhostQuinn/pseuds/ChubbyGhostQuinn)


End file.
